Moravian Instruments CCD Cameras for Astronomy

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1 Moravian Instruments Cameras for Astromy Horse Head and Flame Image by Jonas Fiedler camera G

2 Large format G4 cameras G4 cameras are capable to use large detectors with mm area, which is 50% more than the area of classical film frame. Precisely regulated cooling keeps the on constant temperature, which allows quality image calibration. Cameras can be equipped also with liquidcoolant heat exchanger to cool down the hot side of Peltier TEC modules, beside the two magnetic levitating fans used in air cooled cameras. G4 cameras are equipped with near-ir preflash electronics to cope with Residual Bulk Image effect. There is a mechanical shutter inside the camera head. Opposite to smaller G3 and G2 cameras, filter wheel for mm square filters (round filters of 50 mm diameter cause vignetting on such large chips) cant be placed inside the camera head due to limited space. But it is possible to connect external filter wheel for 5 large filters to the G4 camera, the camera head already contains connector for external filter wheel control. Also even larger external filter wheel with 7 positions for mm square filters is available for G4 cameras. Used detectors are equipped with so-called anti-blooming gate (), which drains the over-abundant charge from saturated pixels. ensures the round images of bright stars, without disruptive blooming spikes. This is particularly important for large format cameras, which often provide wide field of view. On the other side, compromising of the linearity by is only negligible and there is influence on photometric or astrometric observations. G4 cameras are used for astromical research as well as ultimate camera for astrophotography. G KAF μm mm G KAF mm

3 Medium format G3 cameras G3 cameras can be equipped with detectors up to mm. Precisely regulated and efficient cooling of the up to 45ºC below ambient temperature allows quality image calibration. There are mechanical shutter and filter wheel with 5 positions for 2-inch (or 50 mm) round filters inside the camera head, so these cameras can be used in unattended, robotic setups. G3 cameras can be also combined with external filter wheels with 7 positions for 2-inch (or 50 mm) filters. Truesense Imaging KAF chips with linear response to light are suitable for scientific applications. Large area of these detectors fits long focal length of big telescopes and large pixels ensure high image dynamic range. Especially G camera fits well telescopes with focal length of many meters due its large μm pixels. Astrophotographers appreciate Truesense Imaging KAI detectors with and electronic shutters. Anti-blooming ensures round images of bright stars, which cant be avoided especially on wide-field images. G model offers unbeatable ratio between camera price and detector area. G KAF1001E μm mm G KAF6303E mm G KAI mm G C KAI mm Omega and Trifid image by Pavel Pech, camera G

4 Small format G2 cameras G2 cameras were designed for demanding scientific applications and for high-end astrophotography. Very high quantum efficiency (more than 85% in the case of G camera) allows capturing of very faint objects. High quality electronics provides uniform images without artifacts and the read ise is limited by the detectors themselves. Regulated cooling of up to 50ºC below ambient temperature significantly reduces detector dark current. Cameras have integrated filter wheel with 5 positions for 1.25" filters in threaded cells or with 6 positions for glass-only filters and mechanical shutter. G2-0400, G and G cameras with n- Truesense Imaging KAF chips are suitable for scientific applications, requiring both high quantum efficiency and linear response to light. These cameras are popular e.g. among variable star observers or extragalactic superva hunters. G and G cameras with Truesense Imaging KAI chips with are suitable for astrophotography anti-blooming of KAI s eliminates charge blooming when bright stars appear in the field of view. G camera with Truesense Imaging with, also suitable for astrophotography, especially in combination with telescopes with smaller focal length due to small pixels and large resolution. These cameras produce stunning images at relatively low cost. G KAF0402ME mm G KAF1603ME mm G KAF3200ME μm mm G KAF μm mm G2-8300C KAF μm mm G KAI mm G2-2000C KAI mm G KAI mm G2-4000C KAI mm Numerous telescope (or microscope, photographic lens or other optical system) adapters are available for Gx cameras. These include standard 2 barrel, T-thread (M ), M thread as well as Can EOS and Nikon F-mount bayonet adapters.

5 G0 and G1 guiding cameras G0 and G1 cameras are ideally suited for imaging of Moon, planets and bright deep-sky objects. High sensitivity, low ise, fast image download, electronic shutter and integrated standard autoguider port also allow G0 and G1 cameras to guide astromical telescope mounts. Thank to their capability to integrate light for a long time these cameras can guide the mount also using dim stars, invisible for common TV and web cameras. Robust construction, small dimensions, easy manipulation and powerful software make G0 and G1 cameras ideally suited for beginning astrophotographers. G ICX424AL mm G0-0300C ICX424AQ mm G ICX204AL μm mm G0-0800C ICX204AK μm mm G ICX274AL μm mm G0-2000C ICX274AQ μm mm While G0 cameras have simple cylindrical body resembling 1.25 eyepiece, G1 cameras have somewhat larger case, which allowed usage of active cooling. Integrated fan is capable to keep the temperature very close to environment temperature, which is often more the 10ºC lower compared to closed designs. Lower temperature results to several times lower dark current. Despite cooling fan, both G0 and G1 cameras are powered from USB line only, requiring only single USB cable from host PC to camera. Guiding algorithms are performed in the PC, which allows usage of sophisticated techniques (star centroid measurement up to one tenth of pixel, allowing seeing limited guiding even with short focal length telescopes etc.). On the other side, G0 and G1 cameras provide standard autoguider port for mount control and handle precise timing of guiding pulses. G ICX424AL mm G1-0300C ICX424AQ mm G ICX204AL μm mm G1-0800C ICX204AK μm mm G ICX445ALA μm mm G1-1200C ICX445AQA μm mm G CX285AL μm mm G1-1400C CX285AQ μm mm G ICX274AL μm mm G1-2000C ICX274AQ μm mm

6 External filter wheels External Filter Wheels for G2, G3 and G4 cameras offer more positions compared to internal filter wheels, embedded into camera head. External filter wheel is t connected to the host PC with separate USB or serial cable and does t need independent power supply. Only single short 8-wire cable connects the external filter wheel with the camera head. External and internal filter wheels are indistinguishable from the software point of view, same drivers are used to control them. External filter wheels cant be used together with internal ones. G2 and G3 cameras with internal filter wheel cant be attached to external filter wheel the camera is manufactured either with internal filter wheel or with connectors and thinner front case for attaching of the external filter wheel. There is internal filter wheel option for G4 series of cameras, these cameras can be used only with external filter wheel. Camera model Number of positions Filter dimensions EFW2-10 G mm EFW2-12 G mm, 1.25" (M28.5x0.6 cells) EFW3-7 G mm, 2" (M cells) EFW4-5 G mm EFWL4-7 G mm Off-Axis Guiders Standard T-thread (M ) or M48 adapters can be replaced with a variant incorporating mirror and upper port for guiding camera. Off-axis guiders are then tightly integrated with the camera body, ensure 55 mm back focal distance for various optical elements (field flatteners, coma correctors etc.) and still place the mirror reflecting the incoming light to guider camera before it reaches filters. This is particularly important when using filters with very low light transmission like UV, Blue or even narrow-band filters. Guider camera port is designed for any camera equipped with standard 1.25 sepiece. It is compatible with all G0 autoguiders and also G1 cameras reach focus when connected using shorter version of C-mount to 1.25 adapter.

7 Camera Ethernet Adapter Gx series of cameras are equipped with USB 2.0 interface with 480 Mbps transfer speed. Besides the high transfer speed the USB interface brings to the user a number of advantages. USB connector includes also lines providing power for connected devices, so that the small G0 and G1 cameras are connected to the computer with a single cable and there is need for separate power source and cord (device consumption is naturally limited, but the G0/G1 cameras comply with the limits with a big margin). USB cables are standardized and therefore there is possibility of wrong connection etc. Also the program support is designed so that the user does t have to perform any configuration and setting. USB device is simply connected and used (this concept is called Plug-and-Play ). On the other hand, the disadvantage of USB connection is the limited distance between the device and the computer. A single USB cable can be only 5 m long. Using the so-called USB active extension cables can this distance extend to 10 or 15 m, but the cable connection and active USB element are necessary every 5 m. The Gx Camera Ethernet Adapter solves problems with connection of Gx cameras over the long distance, offering remote connection of cameras over Ethernet network. There is a compact computer with Intel Atom processor in the core of the Ethernet Adapter. Software is located on msata SSD (Solid State Disk), firmly attached to the main board, and there are moving parts in the whole device. That guarantees long-term reliability, durability and resistance to shocks or vibrations. The Ethernet interface supports transmission speed 1 Gbps and slower 10/100 Mbps and allows integration to all common local area networks. Compact unit uses the same supply voltage 12 V DC and power connectors like G2, G3 and G4 cameras. Thus, it is possible to use the identical power source for the ETH Adapter as for the rest of system. Single Gx Camera Ethernet Adapter includes 4 USB 2.0 ports and allows simultaneous connection of up to 4 cameras. The image download speed is almost unaffected, especially when 1 Gbps Ethernet interface is used. Software support Scientific Image Processing System (SIPS) software package is shipped with every camera (the package can be also downloaded from the web site for free). SIPS offers numerous functions starting with camera and filter wheel control, exposure series and guiding. It also supports other devices (GPS receivers, focusers, telescope mounts, dome controllers, ) and additional features like image calibration, blinking, matching and stacking of multiple images, shows profiles and calculates statistics, exports images to common formats beside the native FITS support etc. Universal ASCOM drivers for all Gx cameras and filter wheels is also available. Beside ASCOM also native drivers for various software packages (e.g. MaxIm DL, AstroArt, ) are available, too. Support for other software packages is gradually added. All Gx cameras are supported by native drivers for all 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows (XP to 8) and also for various 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Linux.

8 Partial list of Moravian Instruments customers Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), USA Max-Planck-Institut (MPI), Germany Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), Spain Astromical Institute of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic (Ondrejov Observatory) Pierre Auger Observatory, Argentina Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Department of Astromy, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague National Research Council of Canada University of Toronto, Canada Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Br Joint Laboratory of Optics, Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic Astromical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic University Heidelberg, Germany University Würzburg, Germany University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Chemical Techlogy, Prague Institute of Plasma Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Machnical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Br University of Techlogy Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague University of West Bohemia, Plzen, Czech Republic Br Observatory and Planetarium, Czech Republic Observatory Upice, Czech Republic Officina Ottico Meccanica Insubrica, Switzerland Photovoltaik Institut Berlin, Germany Moravian Instruments Masarykova Zlin Czech Republic Your distributor: North America and Pelican image by Ondrej Podlucky, camera G2-8300, narrow-band filters